


Waddle of Penguins

by Riddlebird-puff (hobbitpuff)



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: AU where Oswald is allowed to adopt Martin because we know that Gotham will never allow it, Bittersweet with Hopeful Ending, M/M, Rated G but sexual relationship is implied
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-24
Updated: 2017-11-24
Packaged: 2019-02-06 03:47:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12808929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hobbitpuff/pseuds/Riddlebird-puff
Summary: ”What can be either big or small, anywhere in the world - near or far, can stay the same or change over time, is different for everyone, but can be shared, can be inherited or chosen? By blood or heart. By raft or waddle.”





	Waddle of Penguins

**Author's Note:**

> Today I learned that a flock of penguins can be called a waddle and if that isn't the cutest thing ever I don't know what is.
> 
> Takes place 1-2 years after season 4. Oswald has adopted Martin. And Oswald and Edward have a friends with benefits (and feelings) arrangement but Oswald wants more.

Oswald did not know what woke him but the first thing he noticed was the stiffness in his bad leg that was always worse in the early morning, and at night. The sharp needles of pain that shot through his back was more painful than being stabbed in the back, and he would know.

No doubt the activities of the night before had aggravated the muscles in his leg even more than usual. But the sacrifice had been well worth it. Or would have been if the second thing he noticed was not that he was alone in his bed.

It was not the first time Nygma had fallen into his bed since the truce. But it was the first time he had invited his former adversary, his former friend, to stay the night. And he had thought Nygma had understood the amount of trust the request had taken.

Oswald had to admit it had been nice falling asleep in his arms.

But where was the rogue now?

He untwisted himself out of the thick blankets Nygma had apparently wrapped around him before leaving. Because he knew how easily he caught cold, or perhaps to set a trap for him to get out of. He threw them to the side.

How could he have been so stupid to trust the rogue? Would he ever learn where Nygma was involved? He had thought something had changed between them.

Oswald searched for his walking cane but could not find it. Had it been misplaced in the throes of passion the night before? Or had Nygma hidden it knowing it would slow him down?

It was becoming more difficult to get around without it, something he hid from both his allies and enemies, but Nygma was observant, and he was one of the few people to know him well enough to have noticed.

He found the object propped up against the nightstand. It was gold, the handle in the shape of a question mark. It was his mark. The Riddler’s. And Nygma would not have left without it. It mocked Oswald.

He grabbed the cane.

And in the pajamas he had slept in he went to check on the one thing that mattered most. If Nygma had done anything to harm one hair on Martin’s head… he could forgive him anything but that… he would finish things between them. Permanently.

But when he finally made his way to the boy’s room he stopped in surprised confusion. It seemed he had found Nygma.

Martin lay in his child sized bed his small head rested on Nygma’s chest as the rogue known as the Riddler quietly read to the boy by a nightlight as he slept. The bed was only just long enough for the boy, and Oswald, but for someone as tall and lanky as Nygma the sight should have been ridiculous. But it wasn’t.

The scene was horribly… domestic.

Nygma looked up towards the open door, something suspiciously like panic on his face. He held his finger against his mouth to gesture Oswald to be quiet.

Oswald crossed the room on his borrowed cane and lay on the bed beside Nygma. He gently brushed the soft curls on Martin’s head. The boy had trusted Nygma enough to fall asleep. Oswald was almost jealous, his possessive nature did not want to share this boy he had begun, without meaning to, think of as a son. But there was another side of him that was proud to see the two most important people in his life getting along.

“I couldn’t sleep,” Nygma whispered. “Heard him cry out. He had had a nightmare.” He handed over Martin’s note pad. The page was open to a child’s crude drawing of an octopus woman strangling a mermaid. “He dreamt that an evil witch had stolen his voice.”

Oswald did not think it was coincidence that the octopus witch bore more than he passing resemblance to Ms Sofia Falcone.

Last night before putting Martin to bed the three of them of them had watched The Little Mermaid together. As a boy himself it had always been his favorite. And he had thought Martin would enjoy seeing a silent hero like himself. Martin had seemed to enjoy it at the time even if Nygma had spent more than half the movie explaining why Ursula was the tragic hero of the story, though he hummed along to every song.

Nygma had even suggested they watch Aladdin next time.

Oswald frowned. He had a habit of hurting those he loved without even meaning to. He flipped to the next page revealing another drawing that was too detailed for a child’s small hand.

It showed a cartoon fish with a hot pink lock of hair on its head and a young penguin with curls on his head below her, the fish absorbing thought bubbles from the penguin’s beak.

The next page showed a larger penguin, a rather chunky penguin with a purple bow tie Oswald noted, being held upside by one leg in the pincer of a giant crab with the face of Gabe.

“Martin wanted me to tell him a story.” Nygma explained. “I improvised.”

“I can see that.” Oswald answered amused.

He turned the next page. It appeared the chunky penguin had freed himself from the crab monster but not without injury for now he was propped up by an umbrella held in one of his flippers. In the other flipper he held the struggling fish over his open beak. Oswald thought Nygma might have gone a little overboard with the teeth.

The last page showed the chunky penguin holding the young penguin in his flippers both drawn by the same clever hand as the other drawings. However another hand had added a taller skinnier penguin beside them wearing a green hat.

“Martin might have the wrong idea about us.” Nygma cleared his throat. “I think it might be best if I don’t come around anymore.”

“Maybe it doesn’t have to be the wrong idea.”

He turned toward Nygma. Like this, with Nygma in his borrowed robe and glasses it was too easy to imagine that the rogue was still the same man he had fallen in love with. That they could still be Oswald and Edward and not the Penguin and the Riddler.

Just two men.

“What can be either big or small, anywhere in the world - near or far, can stay the same or change over time, is different for everyone, but can be shared, can be inherited or chosen? By blood or heart. By raft or waddle.”

“Are you… asking me a riddle?” Nygma grinned.

Oswald felt himself blush. “Zsasz bought Martin a book of riddles. The boy seems to have some talent for them.”

“Family. The answer is family.” Nygma shook his head. “Oswald… we can’t… I can’t. It’s far too late for that.”

“I know,” Oswald sighed. “Sometimes chosen for you, it waits for you when you’re ready for it.”

Edward softly kissed him. “By raft or waddle.” He giggled. “You added that yourself.”

“It seemed appropriate.”

“If I were to choose a family I could certainly do no better than a waddle of penguins.”

Oswald lay his head on Ed.

 

**Author's Note:**

> This was written in a few hours and I think it shows? I mean it could definitely be better imo but I'm posting it anyway.
> 
> The riddle is not mine but I adjusted it so the answer could be family (the original answer was home) and of course I added the last part - a raft is a flock of penguins in the water and a waddle is a flock of penguins on land.
> 
> Regarding the use of the name Nygma - I don't see Oswald being comfortable using the name Edward after he becomes the Riddler (too familiar) and he definitely isn't calling him Riddler anytime soon. So Nygma it was.
> 
> Also - to be clear I don't have a problem with Sofia as a character and I did not make her Martin's witch because I do not like her. I'm going with the theory that she is/will use Martin against Oswald and he would have reason to be afraid of her. And that was the only reason.
> 
> About Martin “crying out” in his sleep - yes, he is still mute in this story but he made enough of a noise for Edward to hear.
> 
> This is a one-off fic but I might decide to add chapters (not necessarily in order) if I decide to write another fic in this universe.


End file.
